30 September 2011

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has apologised to the Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor for offending him for a statement allegedly denigrating Johor and its crime rate.

Lim said out of respect to the sultan, he wishes to "fully apologise" to his majesty and his subjects, the people of Johor.

"I have no intention whatsoever to discredit Johor or any other state," said Lim at an emergency press conference in Penang today.

"The sultan has said that politics should be left to politicians and the people should not be dragging rulers into politics. I agree with the sultan," he added.

"I feel that what I said has been misrepresented by the BN-controlled media," he added.

Lim was referring to an interview in the front page of the New Straits Times today, where the sultan had come forward to express his dismay over the controversial comments allegedly uttered by Lim in a recent working visit in Singapore.

Event concludes in only seven minutes

During the brief press event, which concluded in only seven minutes, Lim spoke solemnly and confidently about his decision. He also read out his statement in Malay, and used court language including 'patik' to express how regretful it was to have earned the ire of His Majesty.

In the report, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said that he was “offended” by Lim's remarks in Singapore that the state is dangerous and the risk of kidnapping is high.

Yesterday, Lim neither admitted nor apologised for the remark, even when told that there was an audio recording purportedly featuring him making the comment during a luncheon talk with foreign correspondence in the republic. He added that his speech at the Aug 12 Singapore event was made during a private luncheon.

Lim said he will pursue this matter in court to determine the truth of where he had made the speech, what was actually said, and how and in what context it was made. He added that to date, except for the purported tape featured on TV3 Bulletin Utama, there was no press report about what he had spoken in Singapore or Australia.

Yesterday, Lim distributed to reporters copies of the prepared speech he made, and its contents did not include the remarks.

“I have access to the tape of my interview with Radio Australia.

“I am still trying to locate the tape of what I had said in Singapore which was made privately in a closed-door session,” he said.

Lim said he had instructed his lawyers to immediately file a suit against the BN controlled media, beginning with Bernama.

He then declined to field any questions on the matter as this was a legal issue.

Johor sultan offended by Guan Eng's comments

The Sultan of Johor has come forward to express his dismay over the comments said to have been made by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over the crime rate in Malaysia's southernmost state.

In an interview with the New Straits Times, front-paged by the daily today, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said that he was “offended” by Lim's remarks in Singapore that the state is dangerous and the risk of kidnapping is high.

“Yes, I was offended when I got to know about that statement, but I don't want to react because as a ruler, I shouldn't be dragged into politics.

“Don't speak for me. I am capable of doing it... I have the interests of my rakyat and also foreigners living in Johor at heart,” he was quoted as saying in the interview, which was also front-paged by Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia.

A consortium of Malaysian Chinese businessmen led by Genting Bhd's Lim Kok Thay, have got the green light to take over Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd, which runs the Da Ma Cai numbers betting outlet, with the government saying "it's a free market". "It is his (referring to tycoon T Ananda Krishnan) company.

The businessmen aim to form a company called "Jana Pendidikan" to manage Da Ma Cai, and remit the gaming company's net profit into a fund to be used to aid the development of vernacular schools.

29 September 2011

Malaysian Airlines System Employees’ Union (Maseu) secretary general Ab Malek Arif said the staff of the national airlines had not forgiven former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for appointing Tajuddin Ramli to replace Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman as chairman in the 1990s.

Claiming that invisible hands had been at work since Tajuddin’s appointment, Malek recalled how MAS was making profits every year before Tajuddin came on board.

He said since Tajuddin's entry, "MAS not only did not make profit, in fact it has been making losses every year.

"It is clear that MAS staff are still angry and cannot forgive what Mahathir did," he said

On the recent controversial share swap deal between MAS and Air Asia, Malek questioned the wisdom of having such a swap with a ‘small’ company like Air Asia, whereas MAS had bigger number of assets.

He said while on the surface only Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes was visible, "behind the screen there are many invisible hands".

"We know Tony will not be able to do anything if there’s no influence from the back. Tony came under someone’s instruction and this well known among MAS employees,” he said.

Yesterday, Mahathir said he was fed-up with MAS's failure to make profits despite being supported by the government with ample funds and protection over the years.

“I support MAS/Air Asia cooperation because for years now I have been fed-up with the management of MAS. Government had supported MAS with funds and protection but MAS had never done well.

"Air Asia is a newcomer but it has managed to sustain itself. Despite giving free seats and cheap fares it is still surviving. And it is apparently making some profits. By right it should close down by now. That it is still around must be because its management knows something that I don’t know,” he wrote on his blog.

Mahathir said all that he wanted was “Air Asia’s management playing a role, indirectly or directly in the management of MAS.”

“I believe Air Asia can contribute in this area i.e. unless MAS is not prepared to learn from a 'cheap' airline. That would be a tragedy. I hope I have made clear why I support MAS and Air Asia working together,” he stressed.

Following the swap, Fernandes and his partner Kamaruddin Meranun joined the MAS board to help 'turn it around'.

Maseu meanwhile threatened to hold a picket against MAS.

Malek claimed that Tony’s presence in MAS together with the "invisible hands" were aimed at taking over MASKargo and also the Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) business.

Recalling that MAS suffered RM270 million and RM500 million in losses for the first and second quarters of 2011 respectively, Malek said the performance was not acceptable to staff.

Anwar Ibrahim has filed an affidavit-in-reply to applications by the premier and his wife to set aside the subpoenae served on them to testify as defence witnesses in his sodomy trial.

In the document that he signed this afternoon before a Commissioner of Oaths at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Anwar said Najib Abdul Razak and Rosmah Mansor are required to assist in the case.

This is linked to information provided by Najib's former aide Khairil Annas Jusoh, when interviewed by Anwar's lawyer during a process of recording statements from prospective witnesses.

Khairil Annas had confirmed that he had taken sodomy complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan to meet Najib, then the deputy premier.

"I feel there are more things which may have transpired (in the discussion between) Najib and the complainant,” Anwar said in his affidavit.

"Najib had initially denied meeting Saiful and then he retracted saying Saiful had asked for a scholarship. Following this, the lawyers wanted to get a further explanation of this."

Furthermore, during the interview on Aug 12, Najib and Rosmah had not been cooperative about giving a statement to his lawyers.

Anwar, who said he has a legal right to call witnesses, then instructed his lawyers to subpoena Najib.

'Rosmah met Saiful's friend'

As to why Rosmah's presence is required, Anwar claimed that Muhamad Rahimi Osman - a close friend of the complainant - had met her."This was gathered during our lawyer's interview with former national athlete Mumtaz Begum Abdul Jaafar on May 25, 2011. Hence, it is not to assert a theory of conspiracy but to gain an explanation about the meeting.

"Furthermore investigating officer DSP Jude Blacious Pereira had taken a statement from Rosmah under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code. This shows Rosmah has knowledge of the case."

Anwar said that, based on these points, Najib and Rosmah should be called to testify.

The affidavit-in-reply was filed by the firm of Sankara Nair, who was present with lawyer Param Cumaraswamy.

Najib and Rosmah had filed separate applications last Wednesday to set aside the subpoenae issued.

Their applications are scheduled to be heard tomorrow, but it is now uncertain if this will proceed.

If their lawyers reply to Anwar's affidavit-in-reply, there is a possibility that the hearing will be deferred.

The prosecution led by Solicitor-General II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abidin, also named as respondents by Najib and Rosmah, will not submit an affidavit-in-reply.

28 September 2011

Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia today shocked the nation with another scathing allegation that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has sent his men to infiltrate strategic government bodies to topple the administration of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

These 'enemies within' have been feeding the opposition with confidential information on Najib, including details about his official overseas trips and private holidays, said the Malay daily.

"I received information that a body (or maybe more than one body) which is indeed strategic in the government, has been and is being infiltrated by Anwar Ibrahim's men.

"The information I received shows that it is a real and evident situation," he said in his column Cuit.

He quoted his source as saying: "I don't want to give more examples, but you can observe yourself how the federal government agencies (not named) given the important task to defend government policies and to educate the people so that they will support the leadership of the prime minister, can apply, absorb and even use the opposition's instrument to undermine the prime minister."

'Process still going on'

According to his source, this is the success of Anwar in bringing his strongmen into the organisations, and the process is still going on, with new officers waiting to be absorbed into the government.

“For small officers like us, we don't want to see the prime minister facing the ill fate of (ousted Libyan ruler Muammar) Gaddafi.

"No matter how strong Gaddafi was, eventually he was toppled from within with the help of Islamic enemies outside,” Zaini quotes his source as saying.

The source cited two examples as the work of the infiltrators - the opposition obtained the details of Najib's official overseas trip expenses and the details of his flight during private overseas holidays in a very short time.

“There are many other examples. How could they obtain (the information) so fast if there is no insider who leaked all the confidential information?” asked the source.

Zaini stressed that he could not verify what was alleged.

"If it is untrue, maybe I can sleep well and be thankful that this did not happen, although I could be blamed for writing something that did not happen.

"What I write is probably a bit surprising but I will let the relevant authorities investigate its veracity.”

Should the allegations be true, Zaini said, the subversive elements must be eliminated from the government because they are very dangerous.

“It is a subtle, cunning and well planned move that could jeopardise the government of the day,” he added.

source:malaysiakini

‘Thank-you, Utusan’ says Anwar...

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has thanked Utusan Malaysia for publishing an article claiming that his loyalists may have infiltrated strategic government bodies.

“It is a compliment to me, thank you very much, Utusan. It’s a compliment (as to) how powerful I am to be able to influence (officers in the government), ” he said.

“I hope (the moles they are referring to) is not from the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office), I normally don’t take them seriously,” he added.

Anwar also pointed out that the Umno-owned Malay daily attacked him on a daily basis without obtaining his version.

PAS Youth, which has been exposing flaws in the electoral roll, has described the removal of the names of 70,361 voters by the Election Commission (EC) as “a victory for the rakyat”.

The EC, with cooperation from the National Registration Department (NRD), removed the names of 69,293 dead voters and 1,068 others stripped of their citizenship from the electoral roll between July and Sept 15.

EC secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria, disclosing this in a statement yesterday, also said the collaborative effort was mounted to clean up the roll as continuous preparation to face the next general election.

The EC is also in the midst of investigating the status of 50,000 other voters in the electoral roll to ensure that mistakes are not made in removing names.

"The investigation requires the EC to refer (to) and get confirmation from various authorities including the NRD, armed forces and the police concerning the voter's citizenship status and identity card number, as well as their status in the forces and police," he said.

Responding to this in a statement today, Johor PAS Youth Suhaizan Kaiat pointed out that it has proven EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof wrong.This is because the number of names removed and being investigated is 120,361 - or 0.98 percent - of the total of 12.3 million voters, and not 0.0001 percent as claimed on Aug 19.

"The large number of voters removed also disproves the statement by EC deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar that the errors were due to negligence of the clerks. It is impossible that (any such) negligence can cause hundreds of thousands of errors in the EC database," said Suhaizan.

He stressed that the removal of names and investigation of the status of voters has been due to sustained pressure from the rakyat.

"The pressure started from the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally and was followed by a series of revelations by PAS Youth. (We) believe that this clean-up would not have happened without strong public pressure. Congratulation to the rakyat!"Now answer this....

The wing, however, continued to demand answers from the EC on these questions:

1. How many old identity card numbers are owned by more than one voter?2. How many voters with same names but slightly different MyKad numbers?3. How many voters with code '71' have been removed?

Suhaizan claimed that the biggest challenge for the EC in cleaning up the roll is to overcome the obstruction posed by home minister, who oversees the NRD.

"As long as the government is still controlled by BN, it is impossible that the outcome of the investigation will be made public in a transparent way,” he added.

“If the people want to know the truth behind the manipulation of fake MyKad in the electoral roll, they would have to topple the BN government in the next general election."

27 September 2011

Fighting off a bid to make them testify in the Sodomy II trial, Premier Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are set to deny having conspired in having the charge brought against Anwar Ibrahim.

A source said this will be the thrust of their argument when the Kuala Lumpur High Court hears their respective applications to set aside their subpoenae on Thursday.

Najib had earlier admitted to meeting complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on the night of June 24, 2008. Then the deputy premier, he had reportedly advised Saiful to refer his complaint to the police.

Saiful had testified during the prosecution case that he had complained to Najib that day about Anwar. (However, the context of his complaint has been expunged from the court records.)

It is learnt that Rosmah will deny meeting Saiful, then Anwar's political aide, on that occasion. This has been corroborated in Saiful's testimony.

It is further understood that Najib could tell the court that he had not given directives or asked others to be accomplices in the charge being framed.

Najib and Rosmah may therefore argue that the defence application to call them as witnesses is an abuse of the court process.

Their affidavits, filed with the court registrar through their lawyers last Wednesday, named Anwar and the public prosecutor as respondents.

Anwar, charged with sodomising Saiful at the Desa Damansara condominium on June 26, 2008, made his defence in a statement from the dock.

Although Mismah, the much talked-about voter, had claimed that she obtained Malaysian citizenship through legal channels, PAS Youth has questioned the rationale for issuing permanent residency (PR) and citizenship as this has allegedly gone against against immigration policy.

According to the National Registration Department (NRD), she was granted permanent residency on July 17, 1982 and citizenship on Jan 31, 2011, after 29 years as a permanent resident.

In an interview with Malay daily Sinar Harian, Mismah, 47, claimed that she entered Malaysia in 1982 as a construction worker. Her husband Mawasi Mawardi, 51, has also obtained PR status.

“This means Mismah obtained PR status in less than a year after she resided in this country. Mismah's case contradicts the statement by Immigration Department director-general Alias Ahmad,” said Suhaizan.

PAS Youth also found that the Immigration Department stipulates that only foreigners with entry permit who have resided in Malaysia for at least five years can apply for PR.

Those eligible for entry permits are:

1. Professionals2. Children - under six years old - of professionals3. Spouses of professionals4. Individuals who obtain approval from the Home Ministry due to national economic importance5. Children - under six years old - of citizens6. Special cases

Therefore, Suhaizan pointed out that the issuance of PR to Mismah had violated at least four criteria - she is not a professional; her husband is neither a citizen nor a professional; and she had resided in Malaysia for less than a year.

“Mismah is just an example. PAS Youth is worried the issuance of citizenship to thousands of foreigners in this country.

Thank you The Malaysian Insider for that report on how MACC lawyer Shafee Abdullah absolved the agency of any blame in the death of Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed.

I say thank you because MACC represents the government and as their representative, Shafee stands as the voice of the MACC and the Najib government.

Instead of showing humility and understanding that a life was lost, the lawyer was gloating in a Pyrrhic victory and in that moment let me know all I needed to know about these people.

It is astounding that MACC and Shafee can offer a rubbish storyline about how Sarbaini’s death happened — and expect us to swallow it.

Let me put it down simply: Sarbaini and his Customs team are under probe for corruption.

A day after giving a statement, he voluntarily goes to the MACC office and is waiting to meet his handler or investigator.

He falls to his death. MACC says that Sarbaini fell to his death while exiting through a window, which essentially leads to nowhere.

He enters through the front door voluntarily and is not under arrest but decides to leave through the window like Superman.

And during the coroner’s inquiry we hear that critical CCTV footage has been erased.

As expected the coroner returns a verdict of misadventure.Actually the only misadventure was Sarbaini’s folly of walking into the MACC office and believing that a seriously compromised government agency could be of help to him.

The whole storyline during the inquiry was so juvenile and absurd that only the MACC guys and their lawyer believed it.

And yet there was Shafee telling all and sundry about how MACC was absolved.

I suppose this is what the government wanted: closure before the elections!! - Ali Kadir

26 September 2011

Pending the outcome of a meeting of Pakatan Rakyat top leaders on Wednesday, the secretaries-general of the three component parties have assurerd that the coalition will not collapse because of the proposal to implement hudud law in Kelantan.

They have also urged all Pakatan leaders to stop discussing the contentious issue openly until it is resolved at the meeting."If that is the objective of Umno (to split Pakatan), it will not be achieved because our cooperation this time is stronger and more mature," PKR secretary- general Saifuddin Nasution (in dark blue shirt) told a press conference at PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Although Umno has always try to drive a wedge within the coalition, he said, Pakatan has the democratic space to respect different views and the capability to resolve disputes.

Loke pointed out that hudud law is not a new issue and that the respective position of PAS and DAP has remained the same.

But all three parties have demonstrated that they can work together within Pakatan's common policy framework and jointly administer several states with much success, he said.

He described the controversy as an issue planned by Umno and "sub-contracted" to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohammad to spark a polemic between DAP and PAS.

"Umno's only objective is to split Pakatan before the 13th general election. It has no interest in hudud law. But we will show to the people that Pakatan is here to stay, to challenge BN in the next election," Loke added.

Mustafa also sang the same tune, claiming that Umno has attempted to turn this issue into a 'strategy' to create misunderstanding among Pakatan parties.

"We can't follow their agenda. The issue of Pakatan collapsing does not arise. God willing, we will resolve this issue."

Pakatan top leaders including PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP chairperson Karpal Singh will be at Wednesday's meeting. However, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will miss it because of official trip abroad.

PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who revived the issue, will also be absent due to poor health.

Each time a dispute has arisen between the Islamic PAS and secular DAP over matters of religion, their supporters have felt concerned that the history of 2001 - which saw the departure of DAP from the opposition coalition Barisan Alternative - will be repeated.

The DAP had quit that three-party coalition over PAS' hardline stance to push its Islamic agenda after it became the largest opposition party following the 1999 general election.

The policies that were unacceptable to DAP, included passage of the Hudud Bill in Terengganu and the announcement to establish an Islamic state if PAS takes over Putrajaya.

Question for MCA

Apart from defending their cooperation, the three secretaries-general lashed out at Umno's hypocrisy in dealing with the issue.

Mustafa claimed that, when PAS-ruled Kelantan passed the hudud Bill in 1993, this had been supported by both the Umno lawmakers in the state assembly.

Saifuddin added that the Syariah Criminal Enactment (or hudud) Bill passed by the PAS-led Terengganu government has remained in place even after BN took over the state in 2004.

"To date, there is no motion by the BN assemblypersons, including a MCA exco, to repeal the enactment.

"So if MCA wants to withdraw from BN, it can withdraw now because the law still exists. This is my question for (MCA president Dr Chua) Soi Lek," he said.

Mustafa also claimed that PAS had put democracy ahead of hudud law when it was forced to make a choice.

According to him, when the Kelantan government passed the hudud Bill, Mahathir had threatened to "take action" against the state government - which, judging by the situation then, meant declaring an emergency and taking over the administration by force.

"It would have stymied democracy. So between the two, we chose democracy. Freedom of expression is more important to the people," Mustafa recalled.

The coroner's court in Kuala Lumpur has found that senior customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed fell from the Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office after being on the ledge of the building.

Coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani, in his verdict before a packed courtroom, said the theory that MACC was involved in his death cannot hold.

“There were no signs of struggle in the incident and the court also dismisses that he committed suicide.”

The coroner, returning a verdict of misadventure, said he believes Ahmad Sarbaini, 56, accidentally fell from the building and was conscious during the fall.

“The court also rules that he died instantly in the fall, and he fell feet first, injuring both feet, and suffering severe head injuries.”

Attorney-General's Chambers officer Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abbas assisted in the inquest, while the MACC was represented by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Sarbaini's widow Masiah@ Maziah Manap and Social Care chairperson Robert Phang were also present in court.

One of the highlights of the inquest followed the discovery that the MACC's CCTV was found to be tampered with, as 22 hours of recording - including the period when Ahmad Sarbaini came into the premises - had apparently been deleted.

A total of 34 witnesses testified in the inquest which took 14 days to complete.

The transcript of the interview with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng conducted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio does not show any comment by him on Johor's safety records, as claimed by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Lim's office today provided the link to official transcript of the interview conducted by ABC's Cameron Wilson for the Connect Asia current affairs radio programme to disprove Muhyiddin's claim.

The transcript(below) was sent along with a letter demanding an apology from Bernama, which quoted Muhyiddin criticising Lim in its report on Sept 23 titled Lim Guan Eng should not sabotage other states - Muhyiddin.

“During the interview, Lim did not mention Johor. Lim discussed about the asylum seekers deal, the repeal of the Internal Security Act(ISA) and about Penang.

“At no time did he even mention the word Johor and make any reference to the situation in other states in Malaysia during the Radio Australia interview,” wrote Lim's press secretary Wong Kim Fei.

Wong's latter to Bernama editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong said the article, which he described as “false, untrue and a pack of lies” had caused Lim to be attacked with “wild ferocity” by Umno leaders.

As such, Lim is seeking an unconditional apology, failing which legal action will be taken.

Lim Guan Eng is the Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Penang and the Secretary General of Malaysia's Democratic Action Party, the DAP. Mr Lim has brought resounding progress to Penang under his system of governance based on the principles of 'Competency, Accountability and Transparency'.

On Monday, the Chief Minister delivered a speech on human rights and transparency at a function sponsored by the Centre for Malaysian Studies at Monash University's Asia Institute here in Melbourne.

LIM:We were quite pleased when he made the announcement but when he said subsequently that it'll be scrapped next year likely after the next elections, we were wondering whether he's just a cosmetic exercise and merely to present or portray his human rights credentials. So I think whether this is a genuine repeal of the act I think remains to be seen, there's a big question mark.

WILSON:Do you think you'll get more detail before the election?

LIM:We hope so but if he's sincere about repealing the act he should have done it at the coming parliamentary sitting this year. There's no reason to wait for it next year. How difficult is it to repeal an act? It's only a one-page statute, and I do not think there will be any opposition in parliament.

WILSON:How much of this decision or the announcement to repeal the act, how much do you think is related to some of the protests and the social push that we've seen in Malaysia this year?

LIM:Definitely it's linked because the Bersih rally, the quest for free, fair and clean elections was badly mishandled by the government resulting in two-thousand arrests of ordinary and law-abiding citizens, and Malaysia received widespread condemnation of the harsh crackdown. And I think they lost tremendous support, the Prime Minister's approval rating slipped from a high of 73 per cent to 59 per cent. So this is an attempt by him to shore-up support to try to regain the initiative that he's also a human rights advocate. But we are wondering whether he's merely pouring old wine in new bottles.

WILSON:Does that change in support for the Prime Minister or drop as you say in support for the Prime Minister, does it naturally translate to an increased support for Bersih?

LIM:Definitely, and also I think it also eats into his efforts to try to win back more states in the next elections. So this is as I said an attempt, a cosmetic exercise which will only be proven if he continues to repeal it next year, but if he does it this year. And also the other question of this Cameron is that he has said that whilst the ISA is going to be repealed, it'll be replaced by two other preventive laws, and we are wondering if the preventive laws that he's going to replace the ISA is the same. And it's not one, it's two preventive laws, and are we getting now two ISA's instead of one.

WILSON:And at this stage the detail of those two new laws is still relatively scant?

LIM:No details whatsoever. So it may end up to be just an empty, a meaningless announcement.

WILSON:Can we add, I'd like to hear your personal experience with the Internal Security Act. Now you were arrested under this act in the past, it was quite some time ago, but can you just outline for us the circumstances of that arrest?

LIM:Well I was detained for being a threat to national security, at the time I was only 26 years old, newly elected to parliament, and it is actually a preventive law which detains you without trial. So it is a subjective exercise or discretionary exercise by the minister in charge. They do not have to justify why they arrested you, and it is arbitrary and completely, well described as high-handed abuse of democratic norms, an act to stifle dissent. If I am considered a security threat when I was only 26 years old, I'd like to believe I'm a greater security threat now. Why am I not detained now?

WILSON:But did you know at the time that you were being antagonistic and you perhaps would be subject to this sort of treatment?

LIM:No I expected to be detained at some point of my career, not when I was just elected to parliament. How can you be a threat to national security when you are just 26 and I do not think I was that influential that if I'm not detained the whole country will go up in flames. That is far-fetched.

WILSON:And you were detained for over a year, just explain the circumstances?

LIM:18 months, well for the first 60 days you are put under solitary confinement, the conditions of detention were what you saw in the movies; interrogation continuously for 48 hours, they put you in an enclosed room without any windows, only a ventilation shute or a vent and you're just cut off completely from society. So you only face four walls and you have no human contact whatsoever except with your interrogators. And I think that boredom and that solitary confinement can really drive you up the wall.

WILSON:So you had no idea of what sort of support you might have had outside of your confinement and how much people knew about your situation?

LIM:For the first 60 days, none. But after my detention was extended for two years, then I had contact with the outside world, but not for the first 60 days.

WILSON: How did that experience shape your political career?

LIM:Well when you're detained under ISA there are only two possible results; one is either you break down and you give in, what ... described to your family you are turned over, or you become more determined to try to reform. And I think that I ended up angry and more determined as I said to make sure that what happened to me if possible doesn't happen to other Malaysians.

WILSON: My guest on Connect Asia's Profile segment today is Lim Guan Eng -- the chief minister of the Malaysian island state of Penang, and Secretary General of Malaysia's Democratic Action Party. Did you feel at all that your family's role, the fact that you're from a politically active family and relatively well educated and the like, did that change the treatment you received?

LIM:No I think that probably they treated me a little bit more harshly than my other comrades, probably because I was a little bit, I was a young man then, I was angry at the fact that I was detained, and some of the questions that they asked and the reasons they tried to justify for my detention were just ridiculous. So they considered me to be uncooperative and that's why as I said perhaps they treated me a little bit more harshly.

WILSON: And how is that use of detention and the ISA, how has that changed in your view the use of that to influence political opposition over the years since you were detained, what is it, it's 25 years ago now?

LIM:1987, that'll be nearly 25 years, right.

WILSON: So has it changed, have you seen a different treatment of political opponents in that time?

LIM:Yes, I think the treatment now is a little bit more, well I wonder whether the use of the word humane is appropriate, but I think they treat them a little bit gentler than during our time, because they're used to getting away with it, and when you highlighted your abusers they had to do some modifications. But again these are superficial modifications. The core of the issue is that the ISA is evil, detention without trial is wrong. Nothing, no explanation can turn what is black into white. And it must be scrapped unconditionally.

WILSON: So that's what you'd be looking for from the Prime Minister, Najib Razak, is it, a commitment to repeal it unconditionally?

LIM:That's right.

WILSON: How optimistic are you that you will actually see that?

LIM:Well the fact that he's forced to yield, previously his position is that there will be no repeal of the ISA and he's refused to compromise on questions of security. Now this sudden announcement I think is a result of concerted pressure from all segments of society, even from supporters within the ruling coalition. I think he has come to realise that he cannot withstand the demands of civil society, and even if Malaysia is to be a civilised nation such oppressive, repressive and suppressive laws have to go.

WILSON: Do you believe that the Australian High Court decision to reject Australia's planned deal to send asylum seekers to Malaysia for processing and the attention that that has brought on Malaysia as a country, its human rights practices here in Australia, do you feel that's had any influence?

LIM:Well I would say it may have prompted the Prime Minister to speed up the calls and the demands that the ISA be scrapped. Definitely it's embarrassing for Malaysia to be described by certain political leaders in Australia, and I think more importantly by the Australian High Court that we do not measure up to international human rights norms. And I do not think that this is something that we can hold our heads up high, and definitely I'm sure it would have prompted the Prime Minister to speed up the consideration to repeal the act.

WILSON: Is that not overstating the influence of Australia's court decision and the debate here in Australia that this decision could see a repeal enacted that's been on the cards for years with nothing happening?

LIM:I just say it could have prompted the decision be speeded up. As I said Malaysia doesn't want to be measured negatively compared to Nauru. I would think that wouldn't be complimentary by any standards. So definitely it would be embarrassing for any Malaysian leader, well not only just in Australia but also other countries that our human rights record doesn't measure up internationally, and I think by repealing or by making this announcement he has received tremendous credit, and I'm sure Malaysia has received favourable press internationally.

WILSON: So in hindsight was entering into negotiations with Australia for an asylum seeker deal, was that perhaps an error in judgement, did it just bring about greater scrutiny on Malaysia?

LIM:Maybe in retrospect yes, but I think initially they were looking at the economic benefits of this deal. And when Malaysia's human rights record was scrutinised, in the end it just doesn't measure up.

WILSON: Can we just finish up talking a little bit on a separate note, talking about economics in Malaysia at the moment, Penang where you're from, one of the most developed and economically important states of Malaysia. What's driving its boom at the moment?

LIM:I think a couple of factors; number one I think many companies are looking for alternatives and Penang is able to offer that because we have finally got our act together. Principally since we took over in 2008 we have implemented governance based on competency, accountability and transparency. We have taken a strong stance against corruption, promoting integrity and I would like to say that basically we have nearly zero corruption in Penang. We were praised by Transparency International for implementing open tenders and fighting corruption.

WILSON: So has that been a success the implementation of the open tenders?

LIM:Yes we have saved public money resulting in budget surpluses every year, and we've got record budget surpluses, so this has resulted in record levels of investment, record budget surpluses, a labour shortage and also nearly zero debt.

WILSON: Is it something that you could see being applied to the rest of Malaysia?

LIM:Definitely, actually when you talk about open tenders Cameron it is an international norm, but in Malaysia it is considered as what I would describe as even heresy, heresy because Malaysia has never practised open tenders, it is always done through negotiated tenders and basically something for the cronies, something on the gravy train. So we feel that we have proven that a clean government practising transparency, practising open tenders can out-perform a government that looks after cronies and is not transparent.

WILSON: So given all we've discussed in the last 15 minutes here, the change in politics, some of the change in the economics that you've just discussed there, how significant is this moment in Malaysia's history for real reform, to really see changes in the future of the way the country is run?

LIM:Well we're at a crossroads, whether we can see change and I think change is now the most powerful word in the world. You can't stop change, you either have to change or you will be changed, and it is up to Malaysians to seize the initiative to reclaim democracy and reclaim their government. Government should be for the people, not for the cronies, and if Malaysians are able to have the courage to change I'm sure we can be high-income economy and we can join the ranks of civilised democratic nations.

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